Startups are using hyperlocal tech like WiFi to build their businesses

AHMEDABAD: After the hyperlocal startup boom, entrepreneurs are now focusing on hyperlocal technology or proximity technology – iBeacon, GPS and WiFi – to build their businesses. A growing number of startups are entering into proximity marketing and the connectivity space.

iBeacons have a range between zero to 200 metres, while with standalone WiFi technology the radius can be increased. However, GPS has no such limitation.

One-year-old startup ProximiT, uses GPS to provide hyperlocal or proximity-based advertisement on tablets fitted inside auto-rickshaws in Pune that allows brands and consumers to connect with each other. “Based on the autorickshaw’s location detected via GPS, the area-specific advertisement would be displayed on the screen,” says Abhay Bora, cofounder of ProximiT. Currently, 300 auto-rickshaws in Pune have enrolled with ProximiT and the startup plans to enter Delhi, Bengaluru and other metro cities soon.

Similarly, six-month-old Ahmedabad-based Voolsy, a mobile app that works with iBeacon technology inside restaurants, allows customers to view real-time menus, detect the table automatically, offer order customisation, dish rating, and will allow users to receive the bill invoice on a mobile.

“It ensures an amazing diningout experience to restaurant goers, while it gives real-time data analytics of customer-specific behaviour to the restaurant owner and also increases table-turnaround ratio,” said Amrish Patel, cofounder of Voolsy. The data analytics can be used not only for restaurants but for the hospitality sector on the whole. It will not only de-bottle and improve the efficiency but will also impart customer satisfaction.

Bfonics uses (Wifi & Bluetooth) iBeacons installed in malls or at retail stores to connect with customers through their mobile, tablet or laptop and push coupons, deals or offers.

It can also be used as an information dissemination platform as Bfonics has deployed it at Hayward Area Historical Society, Museum in the US.

Soon it will add hospitals, college and schools. Currently, on an average it captures 100,000 customer analytic data per week and with increased Indian operation, it expects to reach one million per week.

Mumbai-based RadioLocus installs plug-and-play sensors and capture customer’s WiFi signals from their devices. It processes the captured data and generates easy to analyse reports containing critical information on metrics such as footfalls, frequency, dwell time, bounce rates and the path followed.